Thank you to everyone who entered our Picturing Peace Photo Contest! The contest wrapped up August 14. After much deliberation, our jury finally settled on the winners. The winning entries are posted below. Congratulations!

This photo is representing peace in the community. Its showing that mentorship is a positive thing. You have a younger girl looking up to somebody that is not to much older then them. Mentorship is a positive thing in the community. Young girls need positive things. This helps with safety and keeping kids off the streets.

Anessa Hicks, Youth Category

This photo is a picture of a hand. This hand is not attached to anyone’s body but rather just on the cement. This shows peace in many different ways. It shows ...]]>

Community Photo Contest

Thank you to everyone who entered our Picturing Peace Photo Contest! The contest wrapped up August 14. After much deliberation, our jury finally settled on the winners. The winning entries are posted below. Congratulations!

This photo is representing peace in the community. Its showing that mentorship is a positive thing. You have a younger girl looking up to somebody that is not to much older then them. Mentorship is a positive thing in the community. Young girls need positive things. This helps with safety and keeping kids off the streets.

Anessa Hicks, Youth Category

This photo is a picture of a hand. This hand is not attached to anyone’s body but rather just on the cement. This shows peace in many different ways. It shows that your not alone and that no matter where you are there will always be a hand ready to help and guide you.

Teri Snell, Adult Category

This was a teenager, on a really hot day. All his friends were running all over. He took the time to sit by the fountain, cool off, and just be a peace for a few minutes.

Susan Montgomery, Adult Category

The two boys I worked with for this project are both survivors of violence. one is 7 and the other 12. I too, am a victim of a violent crime. I have used art healing in the past and thought taking pictures and using ways to implement them in my work would not only help me but help them. we shared moments of peace, sadness, happiness and experiences. we came up with ways to incorporate more activities in our neighborhoods of positive than negative by doing such a project yet also realized the barriers and struggles for us as well as others. the reason i chose this title was because at the moment this picture was take. The boys and I were all in a “break free” moment. Stepping out of reality to share our “peace” for the project yet not realizing we were at peace with ourself and each other too. It was a good experience. They wished more kids had access to such things instead of being exposed to negative. The 12 year old. Ezra Blevins, brother Terrell Mayes was shot on Dec 26 2011. I not only took pics. but included them on ideas and we all talked about plans on continue to work on projects. His biggest thing was having guns of the street. HE had great ideas the day we went out, as well as my son, who they have become close buddies since I started mentoring him. They had a chance to be themselves, use there own words, live out of the box, and set examples in there environment with out concern for racism, safety or other unjust issues. I am very proud of them. We had other photos. But didn’t know if one was allowed. So I chose this one to start.

Tahiel Jimenez, Adult Category

As a community we should be encouraged to sit down and talk about topics that important to us. Discussion is one of the biggest tools that we have to promote peace.

Sue Vruno, Adult Category

The Minneapolis Lake system is a gem of the community. The lakes encourage gathering of individuals for sport, leisure, exercise and any number of activities. Keeping these lakes a safe area for all the citizens should make Minneapolis proud.

Ivy Vainio, Adult Category

Fourteen year old T’ea Drift poses for a photograph with her grandmother Mavis Drift (both are tribal members of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe) at a powwow in Sawyer, Minnesota. This photo depicts a strong family connection within the Anishinaabe culture. Studies have shown that youth, including tribal youth, that are involved in their culture become well grounded, adjusted, and successful individuals especially with the love and support of their families. With gang violence on the rise within tribal communities (reservations and urban areas) across the state of Minnesota and other states around the U.S., positive and enriching cultural community involvement is necessary to provide spiritual, physical, and mental well being for anyone and everyone, especially our youth.

Tahiel Jimenez, Adult Category

A graffiti artist reflects on his life and the world as it is today. The graffiti behind reads “Peace is the way.” Graffiti is a modern art that is starting to grow and art is good way to move people away from violence to promote peace.

Reyna Urbano, Youth Category

Freedom, quiet, and tranquility are the synonyms of peace. Peace can have many definitions, it just depends on a person’s perspective. Our definition of peace is when people can live in harmony with each other no matter what color, size, or beliefs they may have. When a person can look beyond another person’s appearance they can find their inner beauty.

In the picture both of the hands are reaching to one another to show diversity. Even though both of the hands are Hispanic they are trying to over come and close the gap that people have created. The picture was taken in the Phillips neighborhood, a place where a lot of diversity is seen. This picture of the hands can be a great symbol of peace.

My cousin Fatima and I Reyna, were part of the Young Leaders Program at St. Paul Lutheran Church were we worked in the community to make it a safer and better place. When we heard about this project we were really excited to be part of it because Peace is one of our court values as well as Courage, Hope, and Humility. Thank you for this opportunity to explore the dimensions of peace.

Dante Davison, Youth Category

By helping one another out, we all contribute to our larger community. This photo literally depicts this gesture.

Dante Davison, Youth Category

Peace in the Park depicts a young man taking the time to collect his thoughts. These moments of solitude are important moments in people’s days. They provide people the chance to reflect and think. Most of the time, the idea of peace is depicted on a large scale, but personal, individual peace is a crucial component of the path to peace.

Kari Johnson, Youth Category

It takes all of us, all our hands to keep peace right. Some peace is not right and is not alive like the dove. We all need to right the peace together.

Jury Members

We would also like to thank our jury members. The jury committee included:

]]>The Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support and The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District will celebrate the work of more than a dozen local youth in a documentary photography exhibit. Picturing Peace is a community engagement and photography project that explores young people’s reflections and hopes for peace and safety in their communities.